April 22, 2009

A quick question (about the new AAA blog)

So the American Anthropological Association has a new blog. Here is what I am wondering though...why doesn't anybody post comments there???

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's an interesting question, I wondered about that as well. It could be a mix of factors: older generation anthropologists who don't care for blogs (or might not even understand how they are constructed, compared to a 'static' website); issues that do not provoke a lot of interest; worry that perhaps an "institutional" blog might not be the best place for frank discussion (although, it was in the past, for HTS -- the first topic of the AAA Public Affairs blog); also, perhaps a lack of wide recognition that their blog exists.

Their previous Human Rights blog was suspiciously silent, almost moribund. At the time of the start of the war in Gaza, they posted an item about a missing Filipino human rights worker, then went totally quiet until the Gaza war subsided...and then resumed posting items I cannot even remember. If they are interested in human rights, then they should be at all times, on all subjects, not just what is politically correct with the Obama administration and mainline politics. For me it was disappointing, and sidelined the AAA as a voice of irrelevance.

Have you noticed their minuscule blogroll by the way? Not a good way to seek recognition, by denying it.

Ryan Anderson said...

right? i don't know what is going on there, and if anybody is looking at it. who's actually running the site, and what are they trying to do? Are they trying to create dialog? what's the plan? are they ever going to send me my magazines or what?

Hmmm. And I agree that some of it might be because certain old schooler anthros either don't get it or don't care. I also think that the "institutional" part may be a part of the problem. Maybe that's a big part--people are worried about being called out by the AAA or something.

I would like to see the voice of AAA get a little louder and a LOT more interesting/thought provoking.

And ya, their blogroll is sad. What the hell??